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We knew Top Gear Australia was going to be produced after the switch to Channel Nine, but, until now we didn’t know who would host the program. Well, apart from a dodgy Shane Warne rumour. As you can see Steve Pizzati (left) is back, and is the only of the former SBS hosts to keep his job.

Joining Pizzati is comedian Shane Jacobson (centre) and journo Ewen Page, who just happens to be editor-in-chief of Top Gear Australia magazine and the topgear.com website.

Self-confessed revhead Jacobson, best known for his lead role in the movie Kenny, is cockahoop at his new gig, “I like many different types of cars, so now that I’m getting the chance to drive plenty of fast cars on other people’s insurance, let me just say I’m as happy as Elvis in a room full of burgers.

“But the people who pay the insurance aren’t quite as excited. I think they feel like Guy Fawkes has just been given the keys to an explosives factory – and they’re right.”

Meanwhile, Page is keen to be taking on one of the few roles in he hasn’t tried during his career in motoring media, which is approaching its fourth decade, “I’m aiming to bring a more urbane, intellectual feel to the show. I will be testing Saabs exclusively, wearing black turtleneck sweaters and featuring in extended stories on the car and its role in modern society. Or doing burnouts in a Falcon ute.”

As for Pizzati, he seems to be his usual vibrant self, “Eat + sleep + incessant travel + seriously cool driving = my life, but I am currently trying to remove the first three parts of the equation.”

No news yet on when the new series will go to air; on his Transmission blog Ewen Page says filming is just about to begin, so we’re a few months away yet. Can commercial television turn Top Gear Australia into something fair dinkum Top Gear fans will genuinely embrace? Not sure about anyone else, but while I wish the new crew all the best, I’m not holding my breath.

Personally getting a girl onto the cast would have been a massive win and added an entirely new flavour to the local production. Instead we’re left still working out which one is Charlotte, Samantha or Carrie.

I went to tapings of the first two as well as a taping in the UK of the original Top Gear and they were chalk and cheese. I reckon it will take them a while to click as a group as it really is the inter-host dynamic that made all the difference. Warren was great and gladly came over to me and a friend to see if we were enjoying it. The other 2 just sort of seemed too rehearsed….

As for the Stig being scared, I’m not sure that is fair. I’m pretty sure that the area they were using as the test track was not as big as in the UK and it doesn’t seem to have the high speed sections that the UK one boasts. I’d say he is just trying to keep it on the track. If the Stig is(are) who I think it(they) is(are) (and assuming they keep the same person/people) trust me when I say that the track and the cars don’t scare him/them. 🙂

Well at least we know the UK version will still be there if this flops. I mean, nothing we come up with will ever be as good as the original and you can’t compare them. The UK version will always be more popular and that, i think, will be the downfall of any international clones.